Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

ऋषयो ब्राह्मणाः सर्वे कथं व्यर्थो भविष्यति । अपरं शृणु मे वाक्यं ब्रह्मर्षे ब्रह्मणस्पते

Transliteration

ṛṣayo brāhmaṇāḥ sarve kathaṃ vyartho bhaviṣyati | aparaṃ śṛṇu me vākyaṃ brahmarṣe brahmaṇaspate

Translation

Tous les ṛṣis et les brāhmaṇas sont présents : comment le yajña pourrait-il devenir sans fruit ? Écoute encore une parole de moi, ô brahmarṣi, seigneur de la parole sacrée (Brahmaṇaspati).

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• brāhmaṇāḥ: brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• vyarthaḥ: fruitless
• vyarthaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धा॒तु; भवति)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• aparam: another (statement/thing)
• aparam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; “another (thing)”

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धा॒तु; श्रवणे)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vākyam: words
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• brahmarṣe: O brahmarṣi
• brahmarṣe: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmarṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन

• brahmaṇaspate: O lord of Brahman (Bṛhaspati)
• brahmaṇaspate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmaṇas-pati (प्रातिपदिक: brahman + pati)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः पतिः)

Speaker

Vāmana (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmarṣi addressed; also implicitly the assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ring of sages and brāhmaṇas around the fire; the speaker gestures toward them, asserting the yajña cannot be fruitless; invocation-like address to Brahmaṇaspati.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana
• Ṛṣi
• Brāhmaṇa
• Brahmaṇaspati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The presence of realized sages and dharmic officiants safeguards ritual fruit; sacred community sustains sacred action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in Prabhāsa, portrayed as a locus where ṛṣis and brāhmaṇas gather, amplifying yajña’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly affirms the necessity of ṛṣis/brāhmaṇas for yajña validity; no specific dāna or vrata is stated here.